home made cannon... I think it's likely the larger diam breech area is made from a natural gas / acetylene tank

this is one exaggeratedly opulent advertisement!

the Chicago license plate... I've posted one before, it was a way to extort more money from the population so the local city government would get rich. It's unheard of now, but it wasn't always just state plates that were required to use roads

When a flame thrower was developed in 1917 the test was so successful a vehicle was needed to carry it. This is the result. Modelled on a British Mark IV tank design it was built and demonstrated in Boston in April 1918. The armament consisted of the flame thrower device and 4 machine guns. It was powered by steam engines so there must be also be a boiler onboard, maybe not the best thing to be standing next to if bullets are flying around. The weight was 50 tons, top speed 4 mph and offered no improvement over the internal combustion powered machine. Only one was built.

In January 1912 he left Indianapolis on a two-speed Indian and covered 14,000 miles in three months, traveling through Florida, down to Cuba and Jamaica, and then to Panama. He took a steamer up to San Diego where he based himself for a while and from there he competed in several endurance runs in both California and Arizona. It was during this time that Baker decided he would attempt to break the transcontinental record. After a record-setting transcontinental drive in 1914, he received his nickname "Cannon Ball" from a New York newspaper writer who compared him to the Cannonball train of the Illinois Central made famous by Casey Jones.

His first was set in 1914, riding coast to coast on an Indian motorcycle in 11 days. He normally rode to sponsor manufacturers, guaranteeing them "no record, no money".
In 1915, Baker drove from Los Angeles to New York City in 11 days, 7 hours and fifteen minutes in a Stutz Bearcat, and the following year drove a Cadillac 8 roadster from Los Angeles to Times Square in seven days, eleven hours and fifty-two minutes while accompanied by an Indianapolis newspaper reporter.

His first was set in 1914, riding coast to coast on an Indian motorcycle in 11 days. He normally rode to sponsor manufacturers, guaranteeing them "no record, no money".
In 1915, Baker drove from Los Angeles to New York City in 11 days, 7 hours and fifteen minutes in a Stutz Bearcat, and the following year drove a Cadillac 8 roadster from Los Angeles to Times Square in seven days, eleven hours and fifty-two minutes while accompanied by an Indianapolis newspaper reporter.

By 1917, Erwin Baker had been racing motorcycles and setting records for 13 years. He was an Indian rider from Indianapolis with a valuable reputation. After a quick coast-to-coast ride, he became nationally known by the speedy and marketing-appropriate nickname, “Cannonball.” Long before racing vehicles were covered in corporate sponsorship, Baker earned the support of some of the biggest names in automotive manufacturing. from http://goodsparkgarage.com/the-brilliance-of-cannonball-baker/

In 1924 he made his first midwinter transcontinental run in a stock Gardner sedan at a time of 4 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes. He was so impressed by the car, that he purchased one thereafter. In 1926 he drove a loaded two-ton truck from New York to San Francisco in a record five days, seventeen hours and thirty minutes, and in 1928, he beat the 20th Century Limited train from New York to Chicago. Also in 1928, he competed in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, and set a record time of 14:49.6 seconds, driving a Franklin.

His best-remembered drive was a 1933 New York City to Los Angeles trek in a Graham-Paige model 57 Blue Streak 8, setting a 53.5 hour record that stood for nearly 40 years. This drive inspired the later Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, better known as the "Cannonball Run", which itself inspired at least five movies and a television series. In 1941, he drove a new Crosley Covered Wagon across the nation in a troublefree 6,517-mile run to prove the economy and reliability characteristics of Crosley automobiles.

Other record and near-record transcontinental trips were made in Model T Fords, Chrysler Imperials, Marmons, Falcon-Knights and Columbia Tigers, among others.

living in San Diego I found the info that he spent a good amount of time in San Diego interesting: His 7 hp, two-speed electric model twin was provided by the Hendee company, who arranged for him to be supplied with a machine from the stock of San Diego Indian dealer, C.A. Shepherd

FYI, next year there will be a cross country motorcycle run for pre-1937 motorbikes!

In 2010 and 2012 ,the brave riders of the Cannonball proved that antique motorcycles could indeed be put to the ultimate test. A test that would pit rider and machine against the North American continent. Reviving a tradition as old as the motorcycles themselves, they took a ride into history. Not only proving the capabilities of the machines,but also confirming the pioneering spirit this great country was built upon

Eligible Machines.........This will be a difficult ride, only the best machines should be considered for it. Much will have to be done to your machine if you decide to run the cannonball. No motorcycle built after 1936 can run for the prize. The machine must be powered by an original engine. Many things could be changed on a machine, and updates made for safety sake, but the core of the machine must be 1936 or earlier. http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=256&Itemid=61

'Happy End' is a photo-project about miracles in aviation history - 15 airplanes that had forced landings but ALL on board survived and were rescued from the remote locations. The planes remain abandoned in nowhere since 10-70 years.

With the help of crowdfunding the book was printed and is now available for online purchase. If you are interested in the 96 page hardcover book with facts, stories and 53 large pictures of the 15 planes:

With Paypal you can pay with your credit card even without having a Paypal account. Please allow 2-3 weeks for overseas shipments. With the purchase of the book you will also get access to the 'making of' pdf files with location, links and how i got to the 15 planes.